Direct against which open'd from beneath,
Juft o'er the blissful feat of Paradise,
A paffage down to th’Earth, a passage wide,
Wider by far than that of after-times
Over mount Sion, and, though that were large, 530
Over the Promis'd Land to God fo dear;
By which, to visit oft those happy tribes,
On high behefts his Angels to and fro
Pafs'd frequent, and his eye,with choice regard,
From Paneas, the fount of Jordan's flood
To Beërfaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on Egypt and th'Arabian shore;
So wide the opening seem'd, where bounds were set
To darkness, fuch as bound the ocean wave.
Satan from hence, now on the lower stair
That fcal'd by steps of gold to Heaven gate,
Looks down, with wonder, at the sudden view
Of all this world at once. As when a scout
Through dark and defert ways with peril gone.
All night, at last,by break of chearful dawn,
Obtains the brow of fome high-climbing hill,
Which to his eye discovers, unaware,
The goodly prospect of some foreign land
Firft feen, or some renown'd metropolis,
With glift'ring fpires and pinnacles adorn'd,
Which now the rising sun gilds with his beams:
Such wonder feis'd, though after Heaven feen,
The Spi rit malign; but much more envy feis'd,
At fight of all this world beheld fo fair.
Round he surveys (and well might, where he flood 555
So high above the circling canopy
Of night's extended fhade) from eaftern point
Of Libra, to the fleecy star that bears
Andromeda far off Atlantic feas
Beyond th'horizon; then from pole to pole
He views in breadth, and,without longer pause,
Down right into the worlds first region throws
His flight precipitant, and winds with ease
Through the pure marble air his oblique way
Amongst innumerable flars, that fhone
565
Stars diftant, but nigh hand seem'd other worlds;
Or other worlds they feem'd, or happy iles,
Like thofe Hefperian gardens fam'd of old,
Fortunate fields, and groves, and flow'ry vales;
Thrice happy iles, but who dwelt happy there 570
He slay'd not to inquire: above them all
The golden fun, in splendor likest Heaven,
Allur'd his eye: thither his course he bends
Through the calm firmament, (but up or down,
By center, or eccentric, hard to tell,
Or longitude,) where the great luminary
Aloof the vulgar conftellations thick,
That from his lordly eye keep distance due,
Dispenses light from far; they, as they move
Their starry dance in numbers that compute
Days months and years, tow ards his all-chearing lamp
Direct against which open'd from beneath,
Juft o'er the blissful seat of Paradise,
A paffage down to th'Earth, a passage wide,
Wider by far than that of after-times
Over mount Sion, and, though that were large, 530
Over the Promis'd Land to God fo dear;
By which, to vifit oft thofe happy tribes,
On high behests his Angels to and fro
Pass'd frequent, and his eye,with choice regard,
From Paneas, the fount of Jordan's flood
To Beërfaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on Egypt and th’Arabian shore;
So wide the opening feem'd, where bounds were set
To darkness, fuch as bound the ocean wave.
Satan from hence, now on the lower stair
That fcal'd by fleps of gold to Heaven gate,
Looks down,with wonder, at the sudden view
Of all this world at once. As when a fcout
Through dark and defert ways with peril gone
All night, at laft,by break of chearful dawn,
Obtains the brow of fome high-climbing hill,
Which to his eye discovers, unaware,
The goodly profpect of fome foreign land
First seen, or some renown'd metropolis,
With glift'ring spires and pinnacles adorn'd,
Which now the rising fun gilds with his beams:
Such wonder feis'd, though after Heaven seen,
The Spi rit malign; but much more envy feis'd,
At fight of all this world beheld so fair.
Round he furveys (and well might, where he flood 555
So high above the circling canopy
Of night's extended shade) from eastern point
Of Libra, to the fleecy ftar that bears
Andromeda far off Atlantic feas
Beyond th'horizon; then from pole to pole
He views in breadth, and,without longer paufe,
Down right into the worlds first region throws
His flight precipitant, and winds with ease
Through the pure marble air his oblique way
Amongst innumerable flars, that fhone
565 Stars distant, but nigh hand seem'd other worlds; Or other worlds they feem'd, or happy iles, Like those Hefperian gardens fam'd of old, Fortunate fields, and groves, and flow'ry vales; Thrice happy iles, but who dwelt happy there 570 He stay'd not to inquire: above them all The golden fun, in splendor likest Heaven, Allur'd his eye: thither his course he bends Through the calm firmament, (but up or down, By center, or eccentric, hard to tell, Or longitude,) whère the great luminary Aloof the vulgar conftellations thick, That from his lordly eye keep distance due, Dispenses light from far; they, as they move Their ftarry dance in numbers that compute Day's months and years, towards his all-chearing lamp N 2
Turn fwift their various motions, or are turn'd
By his magnetic beam, that gently warms
The universe, and to each inward part
With gentle penetration, though unseen,
Shoots invisible virtue ev'n to the deep;
So wondrously was fet his flation bright.
There lands the Fiend, a spot like which, perhaps,
Aftronomer in the fun's lucent orb,
Through his glaz'd optic tube, yet never saw.
The place he found beyond expression bright,
Compar'd with ought on earth, metal or ftone;
Not all parts like, but all alike inform'd
With radiant light, as glowing ir on with fire;
If metal, part feem'd gold, part silver clear;
If stone, carbuncle most or chrysolite,
Ruby or topaz, to the twelve that shone
In Aaron's breaft-plate, and a stone besides,
Imagin'd rather oft than elsewhere feen,
That flone, or like to that,which here below
Philofophers in vain fo long have fought; .
In vain, though by their pow`rful art they bind
Volatil Hermes, and call up unbound,
In various fhapes, old Proteus from the sea,
Drain'd through a limbec to his native form.
What wonder then if fields and regions here
Breathe forth Elixir pure, and rivers run
Potable gold; when,with one virtuous touch
Th'arch-chemic fun, fo far from us remote,
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